Sequencing suggests source of the Yemen cholera outbreak

New research has uncovered the source of the cholera epidemic in Yemen using genomic sequencing. Researchers have estimated that the strain causing the current outbreak is likely to have originated from East Africa, contrary to previous theories that the Yemen outbreak has been caused by two different strains.

Currently the United Nations estimates that 16 million individuals in Yemen lack access to safe water and sanitation, with the cholera epidemic having affected over 1 million people. This study, published recently in Nature, aimed to understand the nature of the strain behind this outbreak.